Tales of the Opera Populaire
by GracieP8
Summary: A series of episodes based on the Opera Populaire. Mostly pre-canon to the Masquerade sequence. Canon compliant.
1. ACT I- Christine

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN PHANTOM OF THE OPERA OR ELSE ALL THIS WOULD BE CANON!**

* * *

_Five years before Hannibal…_

Christine gently caressed the picture frame on the dressing room table, smiling at her father's photograph… _"Little Lotte thought of everything and nothing…"_ she smiled, singing the familiar nursery rhyme to herself _"Her father promised her that he would send her the angel of music…"_ as soon as she finished that line, she felt someone lurking over her and she turned around, ashen at the ghostly presence… before realizing that there was nobody around… _"Oh Christine…"_ she berated herself_ "You must be making things up again… now, you have to get going or else Madame Giry would scold you for being late again…"_ before going to rehearsal…

* * *

_One week later…_

Christine looked outside the window, rain hitting against the glass as she silently counted the seconds to herself, slowly beginning to feel bored… she was waiting for Madame Giry to take her back to their apartment… nothing much had happened outside and the fifteen-year-old started to move away from the window when she saw a strange shadow, catching her attention… Christine was a girl who was quite naïve and often let curiosity get the better of her. She made her way to it, opening and gently closing the door in order not to scare it away…

"Hello?" Christine called out, competing against the roaring rain "Who's there?"

"Only I…" she looked around for the source of that voice "Who…" she tried not to show the fear in her voice despite trembling, partially from fear, and partially from the cold rain "Who are you?"

"I go by _many_ names…" the voice was eerie and deep…

"Why… why are you here?" she continued, taking a step back.

"I am your angel of music…"

"Angel of music…? You mean my father sent you to come to me?" she mused, remembering the tale she held so dearly to her… maybe he could tell her answers about her father's death… maybe he could tell her why people had to die… maybe he could tell her more about her father… hope filled her heart and she smiled to herself before her train of thought was interrupted by a snap of a cane… "Miss Christine Charles Daae, come with me now…"

With that, Christine ran to Madame Giry before looking around for that shadow… noticing that he was… gone…

"What were you thinking when you were standing out there in the rain…" Madame Giry tsked sternly as she led Christine back indoors to get dried before they could return home… but Christine never listened… for she knew that her father had sent her the angel of music… she was sure of it…


	2. ACT II- Erik

**Some footnotes I forgot to add in the first chapter! Christine's middle name is a reference to the 1962 film.**

* * *

_Three years before the events of Hannibal…_

There was barely a sound in the churchyards, it was eerily quiet and felt more like a ghost town. The moonlight cast its gaze onto a young girl around seventeen… that same girl the Phantom saw two years ago… the girl carried a lantern and Erik couldn't help but notice how _beautiful_ she was for her age… the candlelight enhanced her pale skin and rosy cheeks, there was a sheen of glowing light upon her chestnut brown curls. Rosebud petal lips hummed a soft tune, filling the night as she made her way to a small grave.

"What brings you to this churchyard, _little one_?" Erik began eerily, startling the young girl in the process.

"My… my father…" she whispered timidly, almost like a mouse "Strange angel, who are you? I promise I won't hurt you… I only seek guidance and nothing more-"

"Silence!" His voice boomed like thunder, making the young girl cower in fear and bow down her head… realizing this, the man's voice softened "young girl, tell me your name… I have heard you sing many times before and I would like to hear you once again… you have the voice of an angel, but you have much to learn…" before momentarily pausing "Such a shame you are just a mere chorus girl…"

"C-Christine Daae… I-I cannot sing for you, monsieur… for I have to get back home before Madame Giry notices that I am missing… I wish to leave and… nothing more… Goodbye…" The girl stuttered coherently before turning away to run from him…

* * *

Erik replayed the events of that night… he couldn't help but think of the girl's beautiful face… her skin glowed under the moonlight, reminding him of porcelain… her hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall and her eyes… those deep blue, intelligent eyes… they filled with _so much_ innocence and yet held a hidden fire in them… Oh, she truly was _his angel_… and _only his…_


	3. ACT III- Meg

**Finally! I'm writing something for Meg! I've always wondered how Meg found her way through the Phantom's lair. This was inspired by a scene from the 2004 movie (lacklustre performances BUT the costumes and sets are REALLY pretty (though some of Meg and Christine's costumes make me a little uncomfortable…))**

* * *

Meg wondered what was taking Christine so long… was she daydreaming again? Did she lose something? The ballerina knocked on the door and called "Christine?" before noticing that it was slightly opened, curiously and gingerly, she opened the door and continued "I'm coming inside!"

Noticing that no one, not even Christine was there, the young woman looked around cautiously, feeling as if something was amiss… after all, it was unlike her to disappear without notice… Was she kidnapped?

"Christine?" she asked again, feeling shivers down her spine as she heard a noise before berating herself "Ignore that sound! You're probably just being paranoid!"

By coincidence, she noticed something amiss with her mirror… Meg cautiously pried her fingers against the gold frame, realizing that the mirror acted as a secret entrance to a tunnel! Curiously, Meg entered as she investigated her discovery before hearing footsteps echo across the walls… she followed the sounds of the footsteps, unsure of which direction to go next as she lost the sound… the tunnel was cold, damp and dark… the only light source were dying candles… the ballerina let out a muffled squeak as she noticed rats crawl in a wet corner…

_"Mon dieu…"_ was all she could manage to say at the discovery, unsure of what to do next… she turned her head as she heard the sharp snap of a cane, only to realize it was her mother…

"Meg Giry…" her mother's expression was stern and stony as she led her daughter out of the tunnel… but she could never forget that discovery...


End file.
